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Trump To Reveal U.S. Future In Paris Agreement

President Donald Trump said he would announce on Thursday his
decision whether to keep the United States in a global pact to fight
climate change, as a source close to the matter said he was preparing to
pull out of the Paris accord.

Trump said he would make the
announcement at 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT) in the White House Rose Garden,
ending his tweet with "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

During his 2016
presidential campaign, Trump blasted the accord, and called global
warming a hoax aimed at weakening U.S. industry.

The Republican vowed at the time to "cancel" the Paris deal within
100 days of becoming president on Jan. 20, part of an effort to bolster
U.S. oil and coal industries.

A U.S. withdrawal could deepen a
rift with U.S. allies. The United States would join Syria and Nicaragua
as the world's only non-participants in the landmark 195-nation accord
agreed upon in Paris in 2015.

Trump came under pressure on
Wednesday from corporate CEOs, U.S. allies, Democrats and some fellow
Republicans to keep the United States in the accord.

Responding to
shouted questions earlier on Wednesday from reporters in the White
House Oval Office where he met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen
Xuan Phuc, Trump said: "I'm hearing from a lot of people, both ways."

The
source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Trump was working out
terms of the planned withdrawal with U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, an oil industry ally and climate
change doubter.

The pact was the first legally binding global deal
to fight climate change. Virtually every nation voluntarily committed
to steps aimed at curbing global emissions of "greenhouse" gases. These
include carbon dioxide generated from burning of fossil fuels that
scientists blame for a warming planet, sea level rise, droughts and more
frequent violent storms.

The United States committed to reduce its emissions by 26 percent to 28 percent from 2005 levels by 2025.
Advocates
of the climate deal pressured Trump, who has changed his mind on large
decisions before even after signaling a move in the opposite direction.

The
chief executives of dozens of companies have made last-minute appeals
to Trump. The CEOs of ExxonMobil Corp, Apple Inc, Dow Chemical Co,
Unilever NV and Tesla Inc were among those urging him to remain in the
agreement. Tesla's Elon Musk threatened to quit White House advisory
councils if the president pulls out.

Musk said: "I've done all I can to advise directly" to Trump and through others in the White House.

Robert
Murray, CEO of Murray Energy Corp, an Ohio-based coal company and major
Trump campaign donor, urged Trump to withdraw from the deal. But on
Wednesday, U.S. coal company shares fell alongside renewable energy
stocks following reports that Trump would pull out.

Pulling the
United States from the accord could further alienate American allies in
Europe already wary of Trump and call into question U.S. leadership and
trustworthiness on one of the world's leading issues. It also would be
one more step by the Republican president to erase the legacy of his
predecessor, Democrat Barack Obama, who helped broker the accord and
praised it during a trip to Europe this month.

A U.S. pullout
could have sweeping implications. The deal relies heavily on reductions
in emissions by big polluter nations, and the United States is the
world's second-biggest carbon dioxide emitter behind China.

At a
conference near Los Angeles, Democrat Hillary Clinton, who Trump
defeated in the 2016 presidential election, said withdrawing would be a
mistake. "Part of what keeps us going is that America's word is good,
and that you stand with your prior administration whether it was of your
party or not," she said.

Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican
presidential nominee who Trump considered for secretary of state, said
on Twitter that affirmation of the Paris agreement "is not only about
the climate: It is also about America remaining the global leader."

Democratic
U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Jack Reed wrote a letter urging Trump
not to withdraw. They said withdrawal would undermine U.S. credibility
and its position as a global leader, empowering nations like China to
drive the climate agenda and set international standards while also
reaping economic benefits from a growing clean energy sector.

U.S. allies rallied behind the Paris accord on Wednesday.

In
Berlin, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker stressed
withdrawal would take years, saying: "The Americans can't just leave the
climate protection agreement. Mr. Trump believes that because he
doesn't know the details."

China and the European Union will seek
on Friday to buttress the agreement. In a statement backed by all 28 EU
states, the European Union and China will commit to full implementation
of the accord, EU and Chinese officials said.

Trump has said the
accord would cost the U.S. economy trillions of dollars without tangible
benefit. For the president, a withdrawal would reflect his "America
First" approach to policy, unencumbered by international obligations.

Trump
refused to endorse the accord at a summit of the G7 group of wealthy
nations on Saturday in Italy, saying he needed more time to decide.

Trump To Reveal U.S. Future In Paris Agreement
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June 01, 2017
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